Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
“You go too far,” I snarled.
Her face showed no emotion. No remorse. No sympathy. Despite her words, just a coldness. “I am very good at my job, and you and Willow Harm being in a relationship, no matter how brief or how long, spells disaster. If you’ve already fucked her, let her go. If you haven’t, let her go. You will bring a spotlight to her life that will not benefit her. At the very least, think of it that way.”
“No one’s cared about who I’m seeing before.”
She made a frustrated sound. “Everyone cares. Blogs and social media care. You’re discreet. You’re very, very discreet, and there have only been two women linked to you over the years. When we won the Lombardi last year, all your perceived anonymity went away. Yes, it was a team effort, and yes, we have other players we wouldn’t have won without, but you helped. I’ve already laid out all the reasons people are intrigued by you, and that interest has gone up since everyone saw you rescue Willow Harm not once, but twice. They like the look of you and her, and they want more. But I’m telling you, don’t give them more.”
I stared at her.
A slow smile spread over her face, not making its way to her eyes. “You risk your own past becoming an issue again. You won’t like the headlines: The Twin of a Rapist with the Survivor of a Killer.”
My stomach sank. “My brother was convicted of attempted rape. I’ve never hidden that.”
“Does that really matter?” she volleyed right back.
“Anything else?” I clipped out.
“I’ve said what I needed to say.” To her credit, she didn’t sound like she’d enjoyed it.
I didn’t like it, but I’d heard her.
But fuck.
Fuck.
Billie.
22
BILLIE
Something was wrong. I knew it. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.
Brett had come over, bringing food with him, and we’d eaten in my little home. We were now curled up on the couch, a movie on the television screen, and though I sat right next to him, touching his leg, his arm, his side, he couldn’t have felt more far away.
I had no idea what we were even watching.
What was going on with him?
Was it me? Had he realized I wasn’t worth it?
I reached for the remote and turned everything off—not just the movie. I turned off the entire television and tossed the remote to the side. Brett looked my way, waiting. I shifted so I could face him, one of my legs pulled up and resting on the couch between us. “What’s going on with you?”
His eyebrows dipped. “We were watching a movie.”
I made a frustrated sound. “You’re here, but you’re not here. I’ve been around you enough to know when you’re present, and you are very much not present with me.” My heart pounded against my sternum, because in a way, this was a test. Would he own up to it and let me in, or would he pull a typical guy move and pretend nothing was wrong, that I was the problem. He could try to make me think I was imagining all of this, but I wasn’t.
His eyes grew pensive before he sat up, taking my hand and pulling me with him. “Let’s go for a drive.”
I hadn’t expected that. I frowned and stood there as he looked around, finding my phone, keys, and purse. He looked me over. “Are you cold?”
He didn’t wait for a response. He opened my closet and pulled out a sweater, then grabbed one of my blankets. Taking my hand, he led me to his truck. “Do you need to lock up?”
I was about to say no, because that was the truth, but remembering my call with Howard today, I took my keys and locked the door.
A moment later, we were in his truck, the heat blasting since we were having a rare cold front as we headed down the driveway.
We got on the interstate, going south of the city, and then got off to wind around in neighborhoods until the spaces between the houses started growing larger.
Eventually we went through a gate and into another neighborhood. I’d only seen houses like this in movies. Never in person. We passed through another gate and there was a whole different vibe. Each of these homes had their own gates with driveways I couldn’t see. The houses were completely hidden.
Brett drove a few more blocks before pulling up to a large gray wall. He hit a button and that wall slid away, revealing a cobblestone driveway. He pulled in, following it around a hill and into a round courtyard.
The house that rose up in front of us was giant. Very modern. White and gray color scheme.
He had a five-car garage, and he pulled into the second slot. The rest were empty.
Turning off the engine, he got out without saying a word. I followed.